1) Causes the release of natural endorphins like serotonin which elevate your mood.
2) Helps you sleep and rest better
3) Improves mental clarity, focus and cognitive function
4) Promotes strength, endurance and flexibility
5) Reduces the risk of a number of diseases (i.e., heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, Alzheimers, etc)
6) Gives you energy
Wanted to share an interesting Newsweek article I came across that discusses the results of research on exercise and the brain in more detail:
"Stronger, Faster, Smarter"
My current exercise program:
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Cardio
Wednesday - Lower Body Workout (Strength Training)
Thursday - Cardio
Friday - Upper Body Workout (Strength Training)
Saturday - Cardio
Sunday - Lower Body Workout (Strength Training)
Dance Choreographer Kimberly Mullen |
I've discovered that my favorite form of cardio is dance. It's soooo much fun and I love doing it so much I don't think of it as exercise. I also get a very good calorie burn.
Yesterday I went back to Heartbeat House in Atwater Village, CA. I took two 1-hour dance classes: "World Dance" with Kimberly Miguel Mullen and "Latin Jam" with Juan Pablo (JP). Although JP's class was my favorite of the two for it's high-intensity and "funktifiedness" (is that a word?), :-P .... Kim's class was more technical and she teaches a choreographed routine, building on basic steps with more advanced steps over the course of several weeks. The class was pretty far along in the choreographed dance, so I didn't pick up everything right away but I learned some interesting new, Brazilian carnival moves. It was a nice workout that had me sweating bullets and now I understand why Samba/Carnival dancers have such great bodies.
Kimberly has at least a few "Dance & Be Fit" workout DVDs on the market: 1) Brazilian Body and 2) Abs Burn. I haven't tried them yet, but they have received some great reviews so I'd like to.
I remember you being a great dancer. I can see why you enjoy it so much. Maybe, we will "cut a rug" sometime-you know with some ole M-town moves.
ReplyDeleteYou know, funny thing is I've never had any formal dance training, but it has always felt like 2nd nature to me for some reason. Thanks Aki.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to share that I answered a trivia question on Kimberly Miguel Mullen's Facebook page last week as part of a DVD giveaway and I won her "Brazilian Body" workout DVD. Funny how the Universe works. :) Here's the trivia question and my answer. Q: Name the Brazilian Martial Art form that was originally guised as a Dance Form and WHY? A: Capoeira. African slaves created it as a survival tool and artful form of communication to survive in a hostile, unknown land (Brazil) & deal w/ Portuguese colonists trying to hunt down escaped slaves. I now look forward to building my best Brazilian body for life.
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